National Defence Committee on Sept. 18th, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Charles Sousa]

Ms. Gallant, your time is up. I'm going to pass it on now to Ms. Lapointe, please.

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Major-General, I had the opportunity to go to the Baltic region last year. We went to Latvia, and I did get to meet some of our Canadian Armed Forces members there. It's an impressive brigade that I believe now numbers close to 2,000 members.

On that, how effective has Canada's contribution been to Operation Reassurance in Latvia in deterring Russian aggression?

[Robert Ritchie]

The Canadian Armed Forces have been leading in Europe since 2015, when our presence first got there 10 years ago. We stepped up as one of the first four lead framework nations for a battle group in 2017. In 2022, in response to the invasion, the Canadian Armed Forces stood up again from battle group to brigade; the number of 2,200 is accurate. We do surge on that mission when you combine the land forces in Latvia with the air and the maritime contributions, and they peak episodically around 3,000.

We have been resolute in our support for NATO-led deterrence and defence. Concurrently, Canadian Armed Forces are strengthening relationships with the 13 allies with whom we're partnered, including our gracious hosts in Latvia.

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Thank you.

Mr. Curran, in terms of the Euro-Atlantic region, what do you see as both the challenges and the opportunities that exist for Canada to specialize in areas like cyber-defence or Arctic security that can contribute meaningfully to Arctic defence?

[Ty Curran]

One of the most exciting opportunities, I think, also speaks to one of our most significant challenges, which is that investments are required in the defence industrial base.

We recognize that our ability to resupply the forces to ensure that we have the ammunition and the spare parts available for the type of fights that we are trying to deter requires significant investments. That's part of the reason that we're working with the European Union on defence-related issues, and we're trying to grow our relationship there.

I would say as well that the work that we do in the Arctic is often expeditionary in nature, even for Canada. The distances are extreme and the weather can be incredibly difficult. Those same capabilities that we developed for the Arctic can help us in force projection in a European theatre. I think they are complementary.

We recognize as well that a conflict involving NATO allies that could break out in Europe would not be limited to the European theatre, and the likelihood of threats through the Arctic is something that we need to focus on. That's a reason it was a priority in the recently updated defence policy, “Our North, Strong and Free”.

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Thank you.

[Robert Ritchie]

Mr. Chair, if I might add, there's a reflex at times to see adversaries in specific regions, but the adversaries are global. The adversary you might be facing a certain region is the same one in another region, and, importantly, NATO is focused on the northwest flank of the Atlantic Ocean and is therefore very interested in the contributions and the defence of Canada and the collective defence of North America.

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Laporte, like many Canadians, we have a real concern over the rise of misinformation online, and a big source of these misinformation campaigns is Russia. Can you tell us how Canada is working with NATO and our European partners to counter the Russian hybrid threats in cyber-attacks and disinformation?

[Eric Laporte, Executive Director, Defence and Security Relations, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development]

I can, absolutely, and thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.

Canada is very active on the cyber-front and in the foreign information manipulation and interference realms. In the G7, we lead what's called the rapid response mechanism, which includes not only G7 partners but also the European Union and NATO participants. That mechanism looks for online sources of disinformation and misinformation and try to correct those and adjust responses. It looks at open source information to develop skills, tools and capacity building for society and civil society organizations. There's capacity building involved in that for NATO allies and for NATO partners beyond just NATO allies, as well as for other areas. Canada is very active in that sphere.

That's from a Global Affairs perspective. I know our Canadian security establishment is also very active in that field, as is the Canadian Armed Forces cyber command.

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Do I have time remaining, Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Charles Sousa]

You have another minute.

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

I'm going to ask this very quickly then, Major-General. From a military readiness perspective, what are some of the Canadian Armed Forces' greatest challenges in meeting simultaneous commitments in Europe and in the Indo-Pacific?

[Robert Ritchie]

We are seizing the opportunity that's been provided to us by Canadians and the Canadian government for focused investment to expand our readiness. That said, we will see the downstream return on that investment as it materializes over months and years. We currently have the readiness we have based on the investments that have been made to date, and there are therefore fixed forces that we are working to optimize, but there are choices to be made about how to employ the Canadian Armed Forces based on the global instability that we see around the world.

[The Chair, Liberal, Charles Sousa]

We'll pass it over to you, Mr. Savard.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you for being here and for your presentations.

If you don't mind, let's move to the Indo-Pacific region. As of today, Canada's current official position is still recognition of Beijing's one China. In the event of an attack, of armed conflict in Taiwan, what would Canada's position be? I'm not talking about readiness levels yet, but about the position as such.

[Eric Laporte]

Thank you for your question.

As you pointed out at the beginning of your question, our policy is the one China policy, which recognizes Beijing's China as China's legitimate government. That said, we still have access to direct exchanges with Taiwan, as well as to trade. At this stage, I would prefer not to speculate on the posture the Government of Canada would take in a potential conflict.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

So, at the moment, there is no deterrence posture. There is no posture where support would be given to Taiwan or anything like that.

[Eric Laporte]

I can say that a lot of discussions and diplomatic dialogues are under way with the Chinese authorities in Beijing on the fact that an armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be harmful. Therefore, our preference is to maintain the status quo. The fact that the Canadian Armed Forces are in the region also has a deterrent effect. However, I'm not in a position to comment this morning on what the government would do in the event of a conflict.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

So I can say that there is disagreement about a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, but that there is still no clear position on what would happen in that case. Is that a fair summary of what you're saying?

[Eric Laporte]

Yes. There is no desire to see a conflict between China and Taiwan. This position has been communicated very clearly to the Chinese authorities.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

What we know right now is that the People's Republic of China is deploying troops. In the Taiwan Strait, boat patrols have tried to show Chinese military capability by firing into the air. We also know that President Xi Jinping has ordered the People's Liberation Army, the PLA, to have the necessary military capabilities to invade Taiwan by 2027. If he wants the PLA to be ready for 2027, that means it could happen before. Things happen quickly; 2027 is tomorrow morning.

Based on your information, are those words just hot air or is something really afoot?

[Robert Ritchie]

Thank you for your question.

First, I would say that China is in the process of perfecting its military capabilities to reach a world-class level by 2049.

Second, the date that was announced to the military and that we are monitoring very closely is indeed 2027.

Third, we are currently seeing that activities in China are much more present and intense than before, across all fields. This will make it increasingly difficult to recognize the signs of an attack on Taiwan.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

If I understand correctly, military activities are intensifying in China, and that muddies the waters. Activities are increasing, but that doesn't mean there is a will to invade or attack.

Is that right?

[Ty Curran]

Thank you for your question.

We know that China wants to be ready, but we don't know how willing it is to act. Therefore, we are working with our partners and allies to better prepare the Canadian Armed Forces for all eventualities to deter global conflicts.

However, it is true that the Chinese are preparing and are supposed to be ready in 2027.

[Eric Laporte]

Mr. Chair, as my colleagues have said, it is becoming increasingly difficult to detect warning signs sent by the Chinese in advance.

We're looking to maintain the status quo. However, we note that, in their operations, exercises and tactics, the Chinese themselves are starting to change the status quo.

So we have to pay attention to the fact that they are changing the situation.